


Riverdale Fanfic

by HollyDaisy23



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24415801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollyDaisy23/pseuds/HollyDaisy23
Summary: Original Fanfic about the CW show Riverdale, featuring original character Ellie Winslow. This work is originally posted on Wattpad but will update with additional chapters to this account as I own this work.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/ Original Character, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1: July Fourth

Sweetwater River.  
6:00 A.M.  
A single gunshot.

Hiding in the woods that morning by the river, I see nothing unusual. I tie my high top Chuck Taylors and begin to walk towards the sound of the gunshot, knowing full well the danger that may lie ahead. A twig snaps under my feet and I freeze. Why did I decide to come here this early in the morning? I should still be at home in bed sleeping. But no, something woke me up and told me to be here at this time. I pull my light jacket around my shoulders and begin forward again, keeping close to the trees I pass so that they might offer a hiding place for me. I hear the river water rushing around the rocks nearby and creep closer to the sound of the river. Is there a clue to offer me as to where the gunshot was fired from? I take a deep breath and inhale the smell of the river. I continue my journey.

What do I do? Should I call the police? I don't know what Sheriff Keller is going to do if I report the gunshot. I decide I'm going to at least make a note of it. If someone else reports that they heard the gunshot, then I'll come clean about hearing it. Until then, I'll keep it a secret. I move forward again. It's then that I notice a familiar red-haired boy. I feel the corners of my lips tug into a smile as I spot Archie Andrews, the boy I've had a crush on ever since I was twelve years old. I decide I'm going to go see him when I spot him with another person. At first, I think it's Betty Cooper, my best friend, but as I step closer I notice a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle and I freeze.

Miss Grundy, the music teacher.

But what are they both doing here this early in the morning? I take that as my cue and leave. I run back to my own house and notice the tears streaming down my face. I wipe them away angrily. Why am I crying? I don't even know. I run back to my room and lock the door, ignoring the fact that I just saw Betty's mom staring at me through her kitchen window. Dear God, why is that woman so nosy? I'm in my room for five precious minutes before I hear my mother groggily call my name from the front door. Groaning inwardly, I stomp downstairs and face the crazy woman herself, Alice Cooper. Of course she had to be even more nosy than she already is.

"Good morning, Ellie!" She says, her fake chipper voice piercing my ears before I've even made it to the front door. "How are you doing this morning?"

I fake a smile, knowing that's what she wants to see. "I'm doing fine, Mrs. Cooper. And how's Polly?"

Knowing that's just the place to stab her heart, her smile falters. "She's fine. I was just curious to see what you were doing out this morning."

My fake smile grows. "Well, I needed to go for a walk. So I did. I feel much better, thank you."

"Why were you wiping your eyes when you went back in the house?" She interrogates.

"Geez, when did my life get so interesting?" I snap.

"Ellie, hush," my mother quietly says. She turns to Mrs. Cooper and smiles. "If you don't mind, Alice, I would like to talk to my daughter alone. I'll figure out what happened this morning, and if anything seems to be interesting for you and your snoopy newspaper, I'll be sure to let you know. Good morning." She turns away from the door and closes it in Alice's face and smiles at me. "I'm sorry about that, dear."

"It's fine, Mom," I reply. "If it's okay with you, I'm going to go upstairs. I've had a long morning already."

My mom tucks some hair behind my ear, her tired brown eyes looking into mine. "Okay Honey. I'm going to go back to bed before your sister wakes up." She kisses my forehead and hugs me before tiptoeing up the stairs again. I wait until I hear her bedroom door close behind her before I run to the kitchen and grab some string, a notebook, some scissors, and tape. I run back to my room with my treasures and begin to form a web of the little tiny things that I've noticed going around town lately.

Riverdale. The town with Pep! As I begin to write things down, I wonder if the town is hiding secrets. Secrets that I want to dig up, even if I have to do it alone. I crack my knuckles and begin to write down what I observed this morning.

-Gunshot by Sweetwater River  
-Archie and Miss Grundy: what the heck?  
-Mrs. Cooper (nothing new there... she's always nosy)

I hear my baby sister start to coo from her bedroom, startling me from my deep thoughts. Thinking about the gunshot I heard this morning, I don't plan on letting her out of the house until we figure out who shot the gun.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out as I walk to my sister's room and see a text from Archie. I feel a pang in my heart as I see it.

"You awake? We need to talk," it says.

I reach my baby sister's room before I respond and see her smiling face looking up at me from her crib. I smile back at her and pick her up.

"Hey Jasmine!" I coo at her while she giggles. I kiss her cheeks as I take her to my mom's room and gently pass my sister to her.

"Archie needs me, I've got to go," I explain to my mom as I hand the baby over to her.

"Okay, just be careful," my mom states.

I walk back downstairs and head to the front door, feeling my lips curl into a smile as I open the door and see the ginger-haired boy from earlier at my front door.


	2. Chapter 2: Later That Day

"Hey, Ellie," Archie pants as he looks at me, his brown eyes trained on my small frame. "Can we talk?"  
I don't know how to respond. I want to. I desperately want to talk to him about what I saw at the river. But I don't know what he wants to talk about. I smile.  
"Sure." I leave my house and begin to walk with the tall boy, my heart doing a somersault as my pace matches his in perfect harmony.  
"I have a secret," he says to me as we get to the woods by Sweetwater River.  
I look up at his face. His eyes are unreadable. His mouth is set in a line as he looks straight ahead.  
"What is it?" I ask him. My hand reaches towards his and my fingers lace with his.  
He hesitates. His eyebrows knit together in a frown as he looks at me. "I, uh..." he stops. I see beads of sweat frame his hairline. My stomach clenches as I look at him. Is he going to tell me about Grundy?  
He takes a shaky breath. "I'm starting to write songs," he whispers.  
I shake my head. Did I hear him right? "Can you repeat that?" I ask him. I squeeze his fingers against mine, feeling a tingling sensation rise up in my chest.  
He coughs slightly as if offended I asked him to repeat himself. "I'm starting to write songs," he repeats.  
I stop. He walks a little more until he feels my arm pulling his arm. "You write music?" I ask, stunned. I'm shocked right now. He's really been keeping this a secret. I didn't even know that he played music.  
"Yeah, I play music." He smiles and I'm lost in it.  
KEEP. YOUR. EMOTIONS. IN. CHECK. ELLIE.  
I smile back at him. "Wow, that's amazing, Archie," I say. I feel my face flush as I look at him.  
"You want to hear some of them?" he asks me.  
I nod. He smiles back at me as he walks towards me. He pulls me close to him and I can smell the deodorant on him. My smile fades as he walks closer to me.  
"What's wrong, Ellie?" He asks, his lips turning into a frown. My heart skips a beat. I look at him and feel tears flooding my eyes. "What's wrong?" He says again. He touches my arm gently, concern written on his face. "Come on, Ellie, talk to me."  
I take a deep breath. "I don't feel safe here, Archie," I whisper to him.  
His eyes grow wide. "What do you mean, Ellie?"  
"I was at the river this morning. I think I heard something over there." I take a shaky breath.  
"Like what?"  
I shrug my shoulders and wipe my eyes. "I don't know what it sounded like. I think it was a gunshot."  
"You think you heard a gunshot?" He repeats what I've just said like an annoying parrot.  
"Did I stutter, Archie?" I sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just scared."  
He wordlessly pulls me into a hug. I'm comforted by his warm embrace, his sweetness, and his gentle touch. He pulls back for a minute and looks at me.  
"Are you going to be okay?" he asks, his eyebrow arched.  
I take a deep breath. "I think so."  
Smiling, he takes my hand and leads me across the bridge. We walk around town for a little while, then he returns me to my home. Before he lets me go into my house, he stops me.  
"Ellie, do you promise to not tell anyone about my secret?" He asks me.  
I nod. "Archie, your secret is safe with me." I lean into him and hug him, my stomach erupting in a fit of angsty butterflies. He holds me for a second, then pulls away from me and smiles. He turns to leave my front porch and waves at me. I sigh happily, then enter my own home.  
"Ellie, I need your help!" My mom calls. I sigh. I go into the family room where my mom is struggling to put a clean outfit on my baby sister.  
"Can you hold her so I can get her dressed?" My mom looks bewildered. I nod and reach for the baby.  
As my mom pulls the clean shirt over the baby's head, she eyes me carefully. "How was your walk with Archie?"  
I smile. "Yeah, it was nice." My mind wanders to our conversation and my smile grows.  
"What did you two talk about?" She reaches for the baby and I hand her over.  
"Oh, stuff," I say. It's not entirely a lie, but I did promise not to tell anyone his secret. That includes my mother.  
She eyes me suspiciously. "Okay." She stands up and walks to the front door. "Jazzy and I are going for a walk. Do you want to come along?"

I shake my head. "I'm good, but thanks, mom." I stand up and kiss her cheek, then press a kiss to my baby sister's chubby cheek. I wave goodbye to them as they leave the house and return to my room, feeling my phone buzz in my pocket. I pull out my phone and see a text from Archie.

Hey, Thanks for listening to me, the text reads. I smile and send a reply.

No problem, Arch. :).

I return my phone to my pocket and race back up the stairs to my bedroom. I sit on the bed and unlace my hightops and toss them into my closet. I want to tell someone of the secrets that Archie just told me, but I can't tell anyone anything. I swore myself to secrecy. So I take my diary out of my closet and begin to write things down. Observations from the day. My conversation with Archie. Other things that are bothering me. I document these and then lock my diary high in my closet.

I check my phone again and see a text from Betty.

Hey, Ellie! Just texting to see how things are going. I miss you so much! Hope your summer is going amazing and I can't wait to see you when I get home!

I smile at the text and send a reply, letting her know that I miss her as well and can't wait to see her when she gets home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, I get a text from Archie.

Did you hear what happened today?

I hold my phone closer to me and hear the gunshot in my head again. I close my eyes in fear and take a shaky breath.

No, what happened?

His text bubble indicates that he is typing for a few minutes, so I go to the fridge to get a drink of water. When I return, a long message is left for me.

Apparently this morning, Cheryl and Jason Blossom went out on Sweetwater River to sail to the other side. They never made it. Jason is missing, Cheryl is okay for the time being.

I freeze. I'm in shock. Cheryl has never been nice to me, but I feel so bad for her. What if something like that happened to my sister? I don't know what to say at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week later, the Blossom family buried a casket and said goodbye to their son. And we continue to go about our lives as though nothing ever happened.


	3. Chapter 3: The End of Summer

I wake from a deep slumber to the sound of my phone vibrating off of my end table. I take a peek at the time and groan. I'm not ready to wake up. It's the last day of summer vacation and I don't want to start school tomorrow.

My phone continues to vibrate, so I sneak a peek at who is bothering me at this time. I perk up a little bit when I see it's Archie.

Hey, want to get breakfast at Pop's?

I smile. Of course I want to get breakfast with him! I scramble out of bed and quickly get dressed, shooting him a response as I do so. I grab my high tops and stumble down the stairs, lacing them up as I go.

"Goodness, Ellie," my mother's voice says from the dining room. "You sound like a herd of wild elephants."

"Gah!"Jasmine crows from her high chair, clapping her hands and giggling.

"Sorry mom, Archie wants to meet me for breakfast." I twist a lock of my hair around my finger and blush. My mom notices.

"I think it's great that the two of you have spent all summer together," my mom says. She smiles at me. I return her smile.

"Well, I didn't really have anyone else to hang out with all summer. Betty was at her internship and I don't really talk to Jughead, so I hung out with Archie," I say. I go to my sister's chair and gently tickle her side, smiling when I hear her laugh.

A knock at the door pulls me out of my daze and I gently kiss my mother on her cheek. "I'll be back later, mom!" I kiss my sister's chubby baby cheek and walk to the front door and smile as I see who is on the other side.

"Shall we go?" The ginger-haired lad asks, holding his arm out to me. I nod and take his arm, smiling at him.

We arrive at Pop's a short while later and grab a booth. We chat about a few things, such as what our plans are for the day and how excited we are about school starting the next day, that sort of thing.

After breakfast, we take a walk around town to give us a few more precious minutes together before the rest of our day takes over. We laugh and talk some more, remembering past first days of school, how we spent our summers growing up, joking about past relationships and friendships.

When we finally make it back to my house, it's almost afternoon. I turn to look at Archie and smile.

"Thank you for this morning," I say. "I had fun."

He smiles back at me. "I had fun, too. I needed to talk to someone other than my dad and Vegas," he jokes. 

I laugh at that. "And it was so nice to have a conversation with someone who isn't seven months old," I comment. "And I'm so glad you didn't try to mimic animal noises while we were eating breakfast."

He snorts with laughter. "I'll keep that in mind for our next date," he jokes.

My heart stops beating for a second. Did he just say "Date?"

He doesn't seem to realize what he just said and continues on with his conversation. "We're going to start our sophomore year of high school tomorrow, how does that feel?"

I shake my head and smile. "It's so hard to imagine it," I say. My knees start shaking in response to what he said previously.

He looks at me and smiles. "I can't wait." Then he leans over and presses a kiss to my forehead. I take a deep breath and smile at him. Once he pulls back, he seems to freeze, almost as if he didn't mean to do that. When he recovers, he smiles at me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he says. He turns to leave and waves. I return his wave, then go inside my house so I can finish any last-minute first-day prep. My mom notices my mood and chuckles.

"Did you have a good time with Archie?" she asks, hoisting Jasmine onto her hip and standing to meet me in the doorway.

"I had the BEST time," I say. I reach out my arms for the baby and take her, squeezing her little body gently close to me and smiling when she giggles.

My mom smiles. "I'm glad you had a good time." Then she looks at me seriously. "Is there anything else you need to get for school tomorrow?"

I think for a second, then shake my head. "I don't think so. If I do think of something, I'll just run to the store and get it."

My mom nods. I give Jasmine back to her and go back upstairs to my room to check on any last details I might need to do for school tomorrow when I notice that I need to do some laundry. I roll my eyes slightly and gather a load of dirty clothes and take them downstairs to the laundry room to wash my laundry. As I run the water and measure out the soap, I think about the school year ahead. What is going to happen? Is life going to continue as we know it?

I snap out of my daze long enough to remember to put my laundry in the washing machine. I load the washing machine and sigh, watching the water soak the clothes and feeling a sense of... I don't know.

My phone rings, pulling me out of the daydream I've found myself in. I look at the phone and smile when I see Betty's name on the screen.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hey, Ellie!" she says. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm just washing some laundry," I say, closing the lid on the washing machine with a satisfied look.

"Great! I'll be right over!" she hangs up the phone and I put mine back in my pocket and run up the stairs to see my best friend come in the front door.

"Hi, Mrs. Winslow!" she calls as I walk up the stairs from the basement. She sees me and smiles. "Hi, Ellie!"

"Hi, Betty!" I walk over and give her a hug. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she says. She pulls away from me and smiles. "I've missed talking to you about pretty much everything."

"You have to fill me in on everything," I say, a smile tugging my lips.

"Oh, don't worry, I will." her cheeks are flushed pink from excitement, but she's still the same Betty that I've been friends with since we were in kindergarten.

We go up to my room and begin to chat about her summer and mine. We trade stories back and forth about her internship and about my wanderings around the town, observing. She finds my story fascinating, but I can tell she's faking her enthusiasm. I know she's so much more excited about her summer, so I roll my eyes playfully at her and tell her to tell me more about it, which she does enthusiastically.

We talk for hours until she suddenly gasps. "I have to go. I have a date with Archie tonight."

I freeze for a split second. "Oh, you do?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Yeah. We're just hanging out," she says. She blushes mildly when she says it, so I know what's happening. I know that look. She likes him. I don't say anything because she knows that I know about her crush. But she doesn't know that I also like him.

She looks at me. "Why don't you come with me?" she asks.

"I couldn't do that, Betty," I say. "You go on ahead, I still have to do my laundry for tomorrow."

She insists that I come with her one more time, but I refuse politely. Finally, she leaves to go back to her house to get ready for the evening, leaving me alone in my room. I sigh and return to the laundry room so I can finish my laundry.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Day of School

The first day of school arrived. But I wasn't ready for it.

My phone started vibrating on my end table, waking me from the deep sleep I was in. I wanted to wake up early so I could help my mom out with Jasmine before I went to school, but my blankets were so warm and soft, and I really didn't want to go to school today anyway. My bed was so much nicer and comfier than the world outside.

My phone vibrated again, this time a text from Betty.

Hey, want to walk with me to school? 

I sat up in bed and sent a reply text to her, then grumbling slightly, jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans, a shirt, some clean socks, and my Converse and wandered into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Ten minutes later, I was showered, dressed, and my backpack was on my back as I went downstairs. I saw my baby sister sitting at the dining room table, her high chair tray covered in cut-up pancakes. She stabs a piece with her plastic baby fork and puts it in her mouth, chewing noisily.

"Good morning, sweetie!" I walk over and kiss her forehead. My mom comes out of the kitchen carrying a pitcher of orange juice.

"Are you ready for school, honey?" she asks me, pouring me a glass of juice.

I spear a pancake and put it on my plate, dumping syrup on it and reaching for the juice glass. "I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be," I say. I cut through my pancake and stuff a piece in my mouth and chew it. I eat quickly and look at the clock.

Right on schedule, Betty knocks at my door and we walk to school together. We don't talk on the way, we let the silence wash over us as we walk. It's a beautiful morning, despite being the first day of school. I look around at the students entering the school and realize that even though Riverdale is a small town, I'm not really that familiar with a lot of the students in the school. I recognize a few students, but not enough to know them by name. I don't realize I'm doing it, but I stand closer to Betty. My heart starts pounding in my chest and my stomach feels funny.

"You okay?" she asks me, her face concerned.

I try to smile, but can't seem to find it in me to give her more than a small twitch of the lips. She looks less than impressed, so I nod.

"I'm fine, Betty," I say, more to convince myself that I'm okay instead of her being concerned. We walk into the school together, she goes to the office, I go to my locker. I take my textbooks out of my backpack and grab my schedule for that day, decide what books I need to get, and put them into my backpack. I check my phone, make sure it's silent, and go to the student lounge to see if there are any people in there. I'm relieved when I see Kevin Keller, one of my best friends.

"Hey!" he calls, walking over to me and wrapping me in a hug. "I haven't seen you all summer!"

"Hey, Kevin!" I smile at him. Kevin, like Archie and Betty, has been my best friend since elementary school. I think it's funny, watching all of these people you grew up with becoming teenagers and learn from mistakes that they made when they were younger, and how they learn from mistakes they make when they're older. It's rather interesting.

"So, how was your summer?" he asks, his eyes popping out of his skull slightly. I giggle as I see this expression.

"My summer was amazing," I gush. "I didn't do a lot, but I spent my summer working on my story. I think it's going to turn out great."

"I can't wait to read it!" he says. His face indicates that he really means it. It means a lot to me to see it. I smile at him.

I hear voices from the hallway outside and identify the first one as Betty's voice, but the second one I don't recognize. Kevin and I go into the hallway right as the young lady asks "What's the social scene like here?"

Kevin steps in and begins to rattle off a bunch of different places around town that I either hadn't heard of or just choose not to go to them. The only place he mentions that I'm familiar with is the Bijou, the movie theatre. I love that place.

Betty introduces us. "Veronica Lodge, Kevin Keller and Ellie Winslow."

Veronica shakes Kevin's hand and I wave. I'm not particularly fond of shaking hands with people. I tag along as Betty continues to give Veronica a tour. At one point, we see Archie's figure ahead of us in the hallway and Veronica stops us.

"Is he your boyfriend?" she asks, eyeing him. My stomach churns at the expression she's giving him.

"No, we're just friends," Betty says.

"No, he's straight," Kevin says at the same time. I stay silent. I don't know this new girl and I'm not about to tell her about my crush on Archie. Specifically, because I don't know her, and I don't trust her that much.

She then asks if either of them can put in a word for her because she hasn't dated anyone like him before. I cringe. Even if I would put in a good word for her, I'm not going to. I've kind of had a crush on him for so long.

We go to the school assembly being held to remember Jason Blossom's death that summer, then off to our respective classes. My first class is chemistry, which I hate. But I soon learn to deal with it. Today isn't a hard class, it's just an introduction day for the class and such. I made it through the rest of my classes until lunchtime, when I met up with Archie, Betty, and Kevin. 

I pull my lunchbox out of my backpack and settle down on the bench. I take a peek at the contents of the box and smile at the note my mom left for me. We're listening to Archie's new song and I'm actually enjoying it when Veronica shows up.

"Can I sit here?" she asks, looking at us expectantly. I try not to roll my eyes at her, just because I don't trust her. I scoot closer to Kevin as Veronica sits next to me and immediately starts gushing about Archie's song. I take a small bite of my lunch and chew it to keep from saying something snarky to Veronica. Archie leaves shortly after she arrives, saying he needs to go talk to Miss Grundy about taking music lessons.

My heart twists. He doesn't know what I know. Of course he doesn't. I take a deep breath and a sip of my water. Two seconds after Archie leaves, Cheryl Blossom appears and I feel myself starting to lose my appetite. I can't stand her very much.

The first thing that Cheryl wants to talk about is Archie, and I look at Betty and see her shake her head at Veronica and Kevin and I. I know she has a crush on him, so I keep my thoughts and emotions under control. I'd rather keep my secret than lose my best friend.

"Actually, we're talking about extracurriculars," I say. "Principal Weatherbee wants Veronica to look into some."

Cheryl suggests cheerleading, which Veronica agrees too, but then invites me and Betty to also try out.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really into cheerleading," I protest. "I'm more of a sidelines writer type girl."

Cheryl glares at me slightly and I feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment.

They discuss other things for a little bit, then we return to the school to finish the school day. I wait while Betty and Veronica try out for the River Vixens. While I wait, I work on another chapter of my story and feel better about my story as I work. I edit a conversation I was having trouble writing earlier.

"Hey," I hear a voice say. I look up and see Archie standing above me.

"Hey," I return. I close my laptop and stand up. "How'd your meeting with Grundy go?"

He hesitates. "It went okay, I suppose," he answers. "Hey, what are you doing later?"

"Homework," I say. "babysitting Jasmine, working on my story."

He laughs a little bit. "Can I come over and work on homework with you?"

I smile. "I'd like that."

"Great!" he puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a mild squeeze. "I'll see you later."

I nod and watch him run away to football tryouts. I pack my laptop in my bag and go to my locker to pull out my books, accidentally running into someone on the way.

"Oops, I'm so sorry," I say, then look up into the face of Jughead Jones.

"No problem," he mumbles. he starts to walk away but I grab his arm.

"Hang on. I'm sorry about running into you."

"No problem," he says again. "You don't need to apologize to me every single time you run into me."

I chuckle under my breath. "Thanks, Jughead." I look at him. "How's your story going?"

He sighs. "It's going along." he gives me a sideways smirk. "How's yours going?"

I smile at him again. "It's going well. I just fixed something that needed to be fixed."

We talk about our respective stories for a little while longer and then we leave, only after agreeing to meet at Pop's to compare and edit our stories later in the week. We decide we're going to meet the night of the dance to talk about our stories.

I get a text from Betty a short while later, asking where I am. I tell her I'm by the lockers and she meets me there, dressed in her new cheerleading uniform.

"You got in?" I ask, my heart rising as I look at her.

"I got in." She smiles at me with her face excited. I was so happy for her.

We go home, each to our respective homes. I finish my homework and hang out with Archie until I go to bed. I sigh. Today was a good day, I supposed. It seemed a little crazy, but I was looking forward to the next day at school.


End file.
